{"id":26811,"date":"2017-11-20T10:26:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T09:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/?p=26811"},"modified":"2025-12-22T17:29:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T16:29:49","slug":"paris-pissoirs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/paris-pissoirs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paris Pissoirs: How 19th-Century Urinals Changed the City"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the 1800s, Paris had a serious problem: the streets smelled bad. Really bad. People relieved themselves anywhere they could, and the city was full of trash and horse droppings.<\/p>\n<p>To make things cleaner and more civilized, Paris built a smart solution\u2014<b>public urinals called \u201cvespasienne.\u201d<\/b> They weren\u2019t just useful. Some were surprisingly beautiful too.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at how these unusual structures helped change the city.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>They Were Built to Fight the Smell<\/h2>\n<p>In the 19th century, Paris had no proper toilets in public places.<\/p>\n<p>Men often just went in the street.<\/p>\n<p>The city smelled terrible.<\/p>\n<p>To fix this, a man named <b>Rambuteau<\/b>, the city prefect, ordered the construction of special outdoor toilets just for men.<\/p>\n<p>These urinals had a simple shape\u2014<b>a round column with an open side facing the street<\/b>, but decorated nicely on the other sides.<\/p>\n<p>People quickly started calling them <b>\u201ccolonnes Rambuteau.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26824\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-9.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-9-352x475.jpg 352w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26817\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-2.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-2-306x475.jpg 306w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-2-659x1024.jpg 659w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26832\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26832\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26832 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-17.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-17-339x475.jpg 339w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-17-731x1024.jpg 731w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26832\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Square des Batignolles, 1865.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26831\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1021\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-16.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-16-349x475.jpg 349w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26829\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26829\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26829 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1073\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-14.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-14-332x475.jpg 332w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-14-716x1024.jpg 716w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26829\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">La Muette, 1875.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26823\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1075\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-8.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-8-331x475.jpg 331w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-8-714x1024.jpg 714w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26819\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26819\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26819 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-4.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-4-323x475.jpg 323w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-4-696x1024.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26819\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quai de I\u2019Ho\u0302tel de Ville, 1875.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>They Were Named After a Roman Emperor<\/h2>\n<p>Rambuteau didn\u2019t want his name to be linked to urinals forever, so he suggested calling them <b>\u201cvespasiennes\u201d<\/b> instead.<\/p>\n<p>This name comes from <b>Emperor Vespasian<\/b>, a Roman leader from the 1st century who once <b>put a tax on urine.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In France, that became the official name.<\/p>\n<p>But in other countries, people still used the word \u201cpissoir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>They Weren\u2019t Very Private!<\/h2>\n<p>These early urinals gave men <b>a little privacy\u2014but not much.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The main idea was to hide the <b>middle of the body<\/b>, but you could still see the person\u2019s head and feet.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it was better than nothing\u2014and it helped keep the streets a lot cleaner.<\/p>\n<p>Later, more advanced designs were made with <b>cast iron<\/b> and included screens to make them a bit more discreet.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26833\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26833\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26833\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-18.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-18.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-18-475x342.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26833\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jardin de la Bourse, 1875.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26822\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26822\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26822 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-7.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-7-475x357.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26822\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boulevard du Temple 1875.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-15.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-15.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-15-475x358.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26827\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-12.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-12-475x380.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26828\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26828\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26828 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-13.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-13-475x358.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26828\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A pissoir at Champs E\u0301lyse\u0301es, 1875.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26821\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-6.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-6-475x383.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26820\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-5.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-5-475x354.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26818\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26818\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26818 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-3.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-3-475x352.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26818\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pissoir at Les Halles, 1875.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>There Were Over 1,000 of Them!<\/h2>\n<p>By the 1930s, Paris had more than <b>1,230 pissoirs<\/b> across the city.<\/p>\n<p>Some had <b>two to eight stalls<\/b> and came in many styles.<\/p>\n<p>Famous photographer <b>Charles Marville<\/b> took beautiful photos of them in the 1800s.<\/p>\n<p>During <b>World War II<\/b>, members of the French Resistance even used pissoirs to <b>meet secretly or leave messages<\/b>\u2014because no one would think to check there!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26826\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26826\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26826 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-11.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-11-475x355.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26826\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A larger type<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26816\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26816\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26816 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"917\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-1-388x475.jpg 388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26816\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marche\u0301 aux Fleurs, Ile de la Cite\u0301, 1875<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26813\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26813\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26813 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-19.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-19.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-19-475x359.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26813\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Place de la Madeleine, 1865.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26814\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26814\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26814 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-20.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-20.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-20-475x352.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26814\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Champs-E\u0301lyse\u0301es, 1874.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>You Can Still See One Today<\/h2>\n<p>In the 1980s, Paris started replacing the old pissoirs with modern <b>Sanisettes<\/b>\u2014unisex, self-cleaning toilet cabins.<\/p>\n<p>These gave more privacy and could be used by anyone, not just men.<\/p>\n<p>Today, <b>only one original pissoir<\/b> remains. You can still find it <b>on Boulevard Arago<\/b> in Paris.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a small reminder of how the city used creativity and design to solve an everyday problem.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26815\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26815\" style=\"width: 740px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26815 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-21.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/urinals-paris-21-475x336.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26815\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The only vintage pissoir still standing in Paris (Credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:F6180_Paris_13e_boulevard_Arago_vespasienne_rwk.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mbzt<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CC BY 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26834\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26834\" style=\"width: 517px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-26834\" src=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sanisettes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"527\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sanisettes.jpg 527w, https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sanisettes-391x475.jpg 391w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 527px) 100vw, 527px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The modern version as of today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the 1800s, Paris had a serious problem: the streets smelled bad. Really bad. People relieved themselves anywhere they could, and the city was full &#8230; <a title=\"The Paris Pissoirs: How 19th-Century Urinals Changed the City\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/paris-pissoirs\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Paris Pissoirs: How 19th-Century Urinals Changed the City\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quirky-paris","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50","resize-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Paris Pissoirs: How 19th-Century Urinals Changed the City<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.france-hotel-guide.com\/en\/blog\/paris-pissoirs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Paris Pissoirs: How 19th-Century Urinals Changed the City\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the 1800s, Paris had a serious problem: the streets smelled bad. Really bad. People relieved themselves anywhere they could, and the city was full ... 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